Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix was not a typical Max Verstappen victory.
After a chaotic race that saw a wet track early on and multiple safety car deployments, Verstappen held off Lando Norris to take his sixth win of the season.
Verstappen took the lead of the 70-lap race on lap 49 when Norris pitted, staying on the track longer than anyone else on intermediate tyres as the track dried, but rejoining alongside Verstappen, Norris did not have the same grip as Verstappen on the damp pit exit track.
This allowed Verstappen to pull ahead, which he maintained after the race’s final restart. With 12 laps to go, Verstappen easily got away from Norris, who held off the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for second place. Russell went off the track while racing Oscar Piastri on the final lap of the race, dropping him to fifth place, but he went on to overtake Piastri and Hamilton to claim the final podium spot.
The most eventful race of the season
Russell started from pole position and led Verstappen and Norris at the start of the race as the track was soaked from pre-race rain. The Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg started on wet tyres whereas everyone else was on intermediates, and their superior traction helped them move up the order. Magnussen finished in the top five, but quickly lost ground as his wet tyres lost effectiveness and a late pit stop meant he was beaten down the order.
The first safety car of the race was deployed due to Logan Sargent’s crash and with further rain looming the track was drying so the leading drivers all pitted for new intermediate tyres, and when the track started to dry again the McLarens of Norris and Piastri looked to be the quickest cars.
But Norris may have stayed on the track a lap too long. Hamilton jumped up to fifth place during the first safety car period and became the first of the top five to put on slicks. His pit stop prompted reactions from those ahead of him, with Verstappen, Russell and Piastri also pitting shortly after.
Ferrari’s worst day
With both McLaren drivers finishing in the top five and Verstappen earning the winner’s points, Ferrari fell far behind in the constructors’ standings.
Charles Leclerc became the second driver to retire after suffering engine problems at the start. Ferrari fitted Leclerc’s car with slick tyres during the first safety car period, which proved to be a mistake, as Leclerc had to pit again and retired one lap down.
Then, teammate Carlos Sainz caused a second safety car period after he spun and made contact with Alex Albon on lap 54. The incident forced both Sainz and Albon to retire, with neither Ferrari nor Williams completing the race.
Ferrari went into the race 24 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ standings, but after Sergio Pérez crashed, denying the leaders any points, their lead had narrowed to 49. Meanwhile, McLaren was 30 points behind Ferrari, narrowing their lead over the Scuderia to 38.
A promising weekend for Mercedes
If the pace Mercedes showed in Montreal is any indication of things to come, things could get a lot more interesting this season.
Hamilton set the fastest lap in Saturday’s final practice session before Russell completed a lap on old tyres to claim pole position, but high winds marred both Mercedes drivers’ final runs on fresh tyres.
On Sunday, both drivers had the speed to catch both Verstappen and the McLarens, with Hamilton trapped behind Fernando Alonso at the start of the race but overtaking Alonso during the pit stops after Sargent’s crash.
Hamilton overtook Alonso and maintained enough pace to keep the top four within striking distance, setting the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.
Russell’s third place was the first podium of the season for a team that was so dominant in the 2010s, and if Mercedes really has the car in order (remember, there have been plenty of signs of sustained pace since the start of the 2022 season), it could well be a four-team battle at the top.
Race Results
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Lando Norris, McLaren
3. George Russell, Mercedes
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
6. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
7. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
8. Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB
9. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
11. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
12. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
13. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber
14. Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB
15. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber
Unclassified: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Alex Albon (Williams), Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Logan Sargent (Williams)
